bloody finger cookies
Posted by faunablues on Oct 13, 2008 · Member since Aug 2003 · 9655 posts
So, last year I made these:
http://yeahthatveganshit.blogspot.com/2006/10/bloody-finger-cookies.html
And they were really cool looking, but they didn't taste amazing. They were all right, but they were definitely more decorative than tasty. Very dry, not very sweet. They got stale pretty fast too.
Any ideas on how to make these taste better but still form-able as fingers? Anyone got a good shortbread-type recipe that's easy to work with/shape? Anyone make these with modifications before?
I have a feeling it might just be a fact of life if I don't want the cookies to melt all over the place (adding more tasty grease or sugar would probably make it melt more in the oven).
I'm thinking of tastier-yet-workable flour : sugar : fat ratios here....
It's at 2.6 : 1 : 1 currently....I'll bet you could reduce the flour to just two cups, making the flour only twice as much as the sugar/fat. Then replace up to half of the margarine with applesauce or banana. I'm guessing this will keep the "wetness" at the same level, while adding some additional flavor and sweetness.
You could also try pumpkin puree instead of applesauce as a marg. reducer....then use a touch of molasses in place of (or in addition to ) the sugar, and add cinnamon and other spices. I suspect that would make a great (if even a bit subtle) flavor, and give the fingers a more "multicultural" look...? :D
These are all just guesses, though.
I tend to "wing it" when I change recipes, and I've been getting better each time...but y'never know.
okay, let me try something with a bit more structure. I'm gonna break this down by wet : dry stuff this time, with flour : sugar : fat in mind...negating small amounts of additional (given) ingredients.
"Ashley's Amazing Shortbread Cookies"
2 cups all-purpose flour dry
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
4 tablespoons= 1/4 cup granular sweetener (white sugar works best) wet/sweet
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil wet/fat
1/4 cup water wet
2 Ener-G Egg Replacers (mixed up before adding to recipe) wet ~1/3 to 1/2 cup?
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
.... so, we've got 2 : 0.25 : 0.5 (or 8 : 1 : 2) F-S-F ratio, and approximately 1.5 : 2 (or 3 : 4) wet-dry ratio. I've tried these, and while they have a subtle, barely-sweet flavor (which I like in this kind of cookie) they are pretty workable.
You could keep the wet-dry ratio about the same and adjust the F-S-F ratio within reasonable limits without making melty cookies, I think. If I were to try modifying this recipe right now, I'd try the following (perhaps half of this to test):
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
2 to 4 Tablespoons molasses
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup margarine (or ~1/3 cup oil?)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (mixed w/1 T flax for added "eggyness"?)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
additional spices if desired
that makes approximately a 2: 0.66 : 0.5 (with additional sweetness/flavor from the pumpkin puree), and a 1.5 to 1.75 : 2 wet-dry ratio.
you could also try a version that adds a bit more dry stuff, with 1/2 cup-ish of cocoa powder, which would add to the "multicultural" skin tones. hey, can't go wrong with chocolate. it's diverse AND delicious!
I have no idea if this "balance" method is how a professional baker would go about developing or modifying a recipe (I'd love to know!) but this is how I've gone about it lately....
wow, you gave this a lot more thought/math than i had!
Pumpkin puree --> multicultural look? ;D perhaps you carrot-people are orange.
I was eyeing the shortbread cookie recipe, but a few reviews commented on how hard it was to work with. I might just try the pumpkin idea, because I've been wanting cut-out type cookies that have pumpkin spiciness to them :) and I can have the rest of the pumpkin as an excuse to make pie...
what about 'mexican wedding cookies'? ive never made those before either, but they seem shortbread-like, but i don't know if they're shapeable.
i know it's not the best option but i have found that using shortening (spectrum organic) rather than earth balance increases the success of doughy recipes.
;)b
wow, you gave this a lot more thought/math than i had!
Pumpkin puree --> multicultural look? ;D perhaps you carrot-people are orange.
I was eyeing the shortbread cookie recipe, but a few reviews commented on how hard it was to work with. I might just try the pumpkin idea, because I've been wanting cut-out type cookies that have pumpkin spiciness to them :) and I can have the rest of the pumpkin as an excuse to make pie...
what about 'mexican wedding cookies'? ive never made those before either, but they seem shortbread-like, but i don't know if they're shapeable.
mexican wedding cookies!!!! I have never made them veganized before either, but i remember I was crazy over them when I was little. I would think that you could agg walnuts and pecans to the shortbread recipe above and roll them in powdered sugar to make some, but look around for an actual veganized recipe. They are very shortbread like. I've used that shortbread cookie recipe before and I think it's awesome.
oh, i meant using a mexican wedding cookie recipe (sans nuts) to make the finger shapes.
i've never had any kind of mexican wedding cookie or shortbread that wasn't lorna doone or sandie's (as in i haven't had any good shortbread)